- Jan 1 64th Sugar Bowl: #4 Florida State beats #9 Ohio State, 31-14
- Jan 1 84th Rose Bowl: #1 Michigan beats #8 Washington State, 21-16
- Jan 2 64th Orange Bowl: #2 Nebraska beats #3 Tennessee, 42-17
- Jan 3 Los Angeles Clippers Bill Fitch coaches his 2,000th NBA game, a 97-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks at the LA Memorial Sports Arena
Don Sutton Selected
Jan 6 Don Sutton selected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Shaq's New Block Total
Jan 7 Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal blocks 3 shots in a 114-102 win over Milwaukee to bring his career total to 1,002
- Jan 8 NY Giant GM George Young resigns to accept NFL position
Karpov vs. Viswanathan
Jan 9 Anatoly Karpov defeats Viswanathan Anand to retain chess title
- Jan 9 Boston Red Sox Mo Vaughn pleads not guilty to drunken driving
Gretsky Best Player Ever
Jan 9 Hockey News selects Wayne Gretzky as the best NHL player ever
Hopman Cup
Jan 10 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Karina Habšudová & Karol Kučera beat French pair Mary Pierce & Cédric Pioline 6-3, 6-4 for a 2-1 win, and Slovakia's first title
- Jan 10 Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan wins his 600th NBA game with a 111-84 victory at the Houston Rockets
1,000 Assists for Messier
Jan 10 Vancouver Canucks veteran center Mark Messier becomes the 6th player in NHL history to record 1,000 assists in a 2-2 tie against the Florida Panthers at General Motors Place
AFC Championship
Jan 11 AFC Championship Game: Denver Broncos beat Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21
- Jan 11 NFC Championship, 3Com Park, SF: Green Bay Packers beat San Francisco 49ers, 23-10
- Jan 11 US Ladies Figure Skating championship won by Michelle Kwan
Eldredge US Champion
Jan 11 US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldredge
Barkley Pleads Not Guilty
Jan 14 Charles Barkley pleads not guilty to an assault charge
- Jan 15 Australian schoolboy Ian Thorpe becomes youngest ever male to become a world swimming champion when he wins 400m freestyle aged 15 years, 3 months in Perth; also wins event at 2001 & 2003 World Championships
Ciccarelli to the Panthers
Jan 15 Future Hockey Hall of Fame right wing Dino Ciccarelli finds his 5th NHL club; traded from Tampa Bay Lightning to Florida Panthers
- Jan 18 48th NHL All-Star Game, General Motors Place, Vancouver, BC: North America beats World, 8-7; MVP: Teemu Selänne, Anaheim, RW
- Jan 18 Boston Celtics retire Robert Parrish's #00
Bird's Return, Parish Honored
Jan 18 Larry Bird returns to Boston as head coach of the Indiana Pacers for the first time, as former Celtics center Robert Parish is honoured by having his No. 00 raised to the Fleet Center rafters
- Jan 22 NHL's Minnesota franchise selects the nickname Wild
Henderson Rejoins Oakland Again
Jan 22 Rickey Henderson, rejoins Oakland A's for 4th time
- Jan 22 World League of American Football renamed as NFL Europe
- Jan 23 Denver Nuggets tie the NBA single-season record of 23 consecutive losses set by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995-96; streak ends with a 99-81 win the next day against the LA Clippers
Jordan's 800th Game
Jan 23 Michael Jordan scores in double figures for 800th consecutive game in a 100-98 OT win over New Jersey; adds 40 more double-figure scoring games to his NBA record before retiring for the second time (1998)
Posh and Becks Get Engaged
Jan 25 Spice Girl Victoria Adams (Posh) and soccer player David Beckham get engaged
Hingis Defeats Martinez
Jan 31 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Switzerland's Martina Hingis retains her title; beats Conchita Martinez of Spain 6-3, 6-3 for 5th Grand Slam title
- Feb 1 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Petr Korda of Czechoslovakia wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats Marcelo Rios of Chile 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
- Feb 1 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 29-24; MVP: Warren Moon, Seattle Seahawks, QB, HI
- Feb 3 Florida Panther Dino Ciccarelli is 9th NHLer to score 600 career goals
- Feb 3 NY Yankees replace general manager Bob Watson with Brian Cashman
- Feb 5 Author Tom Clancy confirms he signed agreement to purchase Minnesota Vikings for slightly more than $200 million, an NFL franchise record
Kerrigan, Harding Interview
Feb 5 Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding talk on FOX (Taped Dec 22nd)
- Feb 6 Twins trade Chuck Knoblauch to NY Yankees for $3M & 4 minor leaguers
- Feb 7 NHL's Dallas Stars retire Neal Broten's #7
- Feb 7 XVIII Winter Olympic Games open in Nagano, Japan
- Feb 8 48th NBA All-Star Game, Madison Square Garden, NYC: East beats West, 135-114; MVP: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, F
- Feb 8 Finland beats Sweden, 6-0 at the Aqua Wing Arena in Nagano, Japan in the first female ice hockey game played in Olympic history
- Feb 8 NHL stops season stops to accommodate the Nagano Winter Olympics; returns February 24
6th ESPY Awards
Feb 9 6th ESPY Awards: Ken Griffey Jr, Mia Hamm win
Fleming Undergoes Surgery
Feb 10 Olympic figure skater Peggy Fleming undergoes breast cancer surgery
- Feb 12 Dallas Cowboys sign Chan Gailey as their 4th head coach
Daytona 500
Feb 15 40th Daytona 500: Dale Earnhardt's only Daytona win in his 20th start; snaps a 59-race winless streak
Olympic Games
Feb 20 Vancouver Canucks' right wing Pavel Bure scores 5 goals for Russia in a 7-4 semi-final win over Finland at the Nagano Winter Olympics
- Feb 22 Petr Svoboda scores the winner as the Czech Republic claims its first ever Olympic ice hockey gold medal with a 1-0 victory over Russia in Nagano, Japan
- Feb 22 XVIII Winter Olympic Games close in Nagano Japan
- Feb 26 Steven M Gluckstern completes sale of NY Islanders
- Feb 28 Vancouver Canucks Mark Messier is 4th NHLer to get 1,600 points
- Mar 1 Mark Martin drives his Ford Taurus to victory in the inaugural NASCAR Winston Cup event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Martin finishes 1.6 seconds ahead of teammate Jeff Burton
- Mar 1 Miami's Pat Riley becomes the 5th head coach to record 900 NBA career wins with Heat's 85-84 win over the New Jersey Nets
- Mar 7 19th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Connecticut beats Syracuse, 69-64
- Mar 8 39th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats South Carolina, 86-56
- Mar 8 45th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #4 North Carolina beats #1 Duke, 83-68
- Mar 27 Chicago Bulls - Atlanta Hawks matchup at Georgia Dome in Atlanta, draws a crowd of 62,046, largest in any game in NBA history; Bulls win, 89-74
- Mar 29 17th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Louisiana Tech, 93-75; Volunteers' 3-peat, completing undefeated season (39–0)
- Mar 29 Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Pat Hurst wins her only major title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Helen Dobson after sinking a 5-foot birdie putt at the final green
PGA Players Championship
Mar 29 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Justin Leonard recovers from 5 strokes back to finish 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Glen Day and Tom Lehman
- Mar 30 60th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Utah, 78-69; Wildcats' 2nd title in 3 seasons and 7th overall
- Mar 31 Expansion clubs, Tampa Bay and Arizona both suffer bad losses in their MLB debuts; Devil Rays lose, 11-6 to the Detroit Tigers and the Diamondbacks fall, 9-2 to Colorado Rockies
- Mar 31 Milwaukee becomes first team since the inception of the American League in 1901 to switch MLB leagues; Brewers lose first NL game, 2-1 to the Braves in Atlanta
- Apr 4 151st Grand National: Carl Llewellyn wins aboard Earth Summit; first GN winner who was also successful in both Scottish and Welsh Grand Nationals
- Apr 4 NFL Europe (Formerly WLAF), kicks off season
- Apr 5 France thrashes Wales, 51-0 at Wembley Stadium, London for its second straight Five Nations Rugby Championship and Grand Slam; fly-half Christophe Lamaison lands 5 conversions and 2 penalties
- Apr 5 The Arizona Diamondbacks record their first win in team history with a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants in Phoenix, AZ; ends second-worst start ever (0-5) by an expansion team
- Apr 5 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Defending champion Gil Morgan wins by 2 strokes from Tom Wargo
US Masters Golf
Apr 12 62nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Mark O'Meara claims his first major title with a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win by 1 stroke from David Duval and Fred Couples
Sports History
Apr 18 NFL Draft: Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning first pick by Indianapolis Colts
Senior PGA Championship
Apr 19 Senior PGA Championship, PGA National GC: Hale Irwin makes it 3 straight titles in the event with a convincing 7 stroke margin over runner-up Larry Nelson
- Apr 20 102nd Boston Marathon: Moses Tanui of Kenya wins men's title in 2:07:34; Fatuma Roba of Ethiopia wins back-to-back women's events in 2:23:21
Kentucky Derby
May 2 124th Kentucky Derby: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 2:02.20
Baseball Record
May 6 Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his 5th career start.
- May 13 Chelsea of England win 38th European Cup Winner's Cup against Stuttgart of Germany 1-0 in Stockholm
- May 16 123rd Preakness: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 1:54.80
LPGA Championship
May 17 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, DuPont CC: 20-year-old rookie Se Ri Pak leads wire-to-wire to win the first of her 5 majors, 3 strokes ahead of runners-up Donna Andrews and Lisa Hackney
- May 17 New York Yankees pitcher David Wells tosses a perfect game in a 4-0 win against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium, NY
- May 20 6th UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid beats Juventus 1-0 at Amsterdam
- May 24 Indianapolis 500: American ex-Formula One driver Eddie Cheever Jr finishes 3 seconds ahead of 1996 winner Buddy Lazier; first Indy fully sanctioned by the IRL
- May 30 Super Rugby Final, Eden Park, Auckland: In an all-NZ final, Andrew Mehrtens lands 2 penalties & 2 conversions as the Canterbury Crusaders beat the Blues, 20-13; Crusaders' first title
- Jun 4 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Washington Capitals beat Buffalo Sabres, 4 games to 2
- Jun 5 NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Dallas Stars, 4 games to 2
- Jun 6 130th Belmont: Gary Stevens aboard Victory Gallop wins in 2:29
French Open Women's Tennis
Jun 6 French Open Women's Tennis: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario of Spain beats Monica Seles 7-6, 0-6, 6-2; her 4th and last career Grand Slam singles title and 3rd French title
- Jun 7 French Open Men's Tennis: In an all-Spanish final Carlos Moya beats Alex Corretja 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 for his lone major title
- Jun 14 NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls beat Utah Jazz, 87-86 in Game 6 for their 3rd consecutive title and 6th in 8 seasons; MVP: Michael Jordan for 3rd straight year and 6th time
- Jun 14 WLAF World Bowl 6, Waldstadion, Frankfurt: Rhein Fire beats Frankfurt Galaxy, 34-10
- Jun 16 Stanley Cup Final, MCI Center, Washington, D.C.: Detroit Red Wings go back-to-back, defeating debutant finalists Washington Capitals, 4-1 for a 4-0 series sweep
US Golf Open
Jun 21 US Open Men's Golf, Olympic Club, SF: Lee Janzen recovers from 7 stroke deficit to win his second Open title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Payne Stewart
- Jun 24 NBA Draft: Pacific center Michael Olowokandi first pick by Los Angeles Clippers
- Jun 27 NHL Draft: Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL) center Vincent Lecavalier first pick by Tampa Bay Lightning
- Jul 1 NBA commences a player lockout after no agreement with players about salary issues - lasts 204 days with the season shortened by 50 games
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 4 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Czech Jana Novotná beats Nathalie Tauziat of France 6-4, 7-6 for her first and only Grand Slam singles title
- Jul 5 NY Yankees beat Baltimore Orioles 1-0 to improve record to 61-20, equalling best 81-game start in MLB history
- Jul 5 Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roger Clemens collects his 3,000th career strikeout in 2-1 win vs Tampa Bay (11th to achieve milestone)
Wimbledon Men's Tennis
Jul 5 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Pete Sampras retains title; beats Goran Ivanišević 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 for his 5th of 7 Wimbledon singles crowns
- Jul 6 England cricket spin bowler Robert Croft saves England from defeat with a famous unbeaten 37 in 190 minutes on day 5 of 2nd Test v South Africa at Old Trafford, Manchester
- Jul 6 US Open Women's Golf, Blackwolf Run: Se Ri Pak of South Korea wins a 20-hole Monday playoff over American amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn
- Jul 7 69th MLB All Star Game, Coors Field, Denver: In the highest scoring AS Game in history, AL wins 13-8
FIFA World Cup
Jul 12 FIFA World Cup Final, Stade de France, Saint-Denis: Zinedine Zidane scores twice as France wins first World Cup beating Brazil, 3-0
Senior Players Championship
Jul 12 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Michigan: Gil Morgan wins his 3rd Champions Tour major title by 3 strokes from Hale Irwin
British Golf Open
Jul 19 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Mark O'Meara wins his 2nd major championship of the year (Masters) and first Open title by 2 in a 4-hole aggregate playoff with fellow American Brian Watts
- Jul 26 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Riviera CC: Hale Irwin wins by 1 stroke ahead of Vicente Fernández of Argentina
Canadian Women's Open
Aug 2 Canadian Open Women's Golf (du Maurier Classic), Essex GC: Brandie Burton wins by 1 shot from Annika Sörenstam
- Aug 2 Curtis Cup Women's Golf, Minikahda GC: US beats Great Britain & Ireland 10-8
- Aug 2 Tour de France: Marco Pantani of Italy makes it a Tour & Giro d'Italia double, German Erik Zabel is points winner
- Aug 3 The Oval stages first competitive cricket match played under floodlights in London when home team Surrey loses to Sussex by 8 wickets in the day/night 40-over fixture
- Aug 9 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal Portrush GC: Welshman Brian Huggett beats Eddie Pollard of Northern Ireland by a stroke on the first playoff hole
PGA Championship
Aug 16 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Sahalee CC: Vijay Singh of Fiji wins by 2 shots from American Steve Stricker
- Aug 22 South Africa beats Australia, 29-15 in Johannesburg to win their first Tri Nations Rugby Series with an unbeaten record; Springboks fullback Percy Montgomery lands 5 penalties and 2 conversions
- Sep 1 American harness trainer and driver Dave Palone wins his 6,000th race, driving Oompa’s Terminator to victory at The Meadows Racetrack in Pennsylvania
- Sep 4 NY Yankees beat Chicago White Sox, 11-6, to win their 100th game on the earliest date in MLB history besting the 1906 Chicago Cubs & 1954 Cleveland Indians by 5 days
- Sep 12 US Open Women's Tennis: Lindsay Davenport wins her first career Grand Slam title; beats defending champion Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-5
- Sep 13 US Open Men's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Patrick Rafter retains title; beats Mark Philippoussis 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
- Sep 20 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Geneva, Switzerland: Conchita Martínez & Arantxa Sánchez Vicario beat Martina Hingis & Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-0, 6-2 in doubles decider to clinch Spain's 5th title, 3-2
- Sep 20 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Muirfield Village: US retains Cup; beats Europe 16-12 for third consecutive victory
- Oct 2 With his team struggling at 28 for 3, Australian cricket batsman Steve Waugh smashes a brilliant 157 to guide the tourists to an innings & 99 run win over Pakistan in the 1st Test in Rawalpindi
- Oct 4 Australian motorcycle racer Mick Doohan wins the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island to clinch his 5th world 500cc championship; all 5 titles are won with Honda
Cricket Record
Oct 4 Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy overtakes countryman Rod Marsh's world record of 355 Test cricket dismissals during 1st Test win v Pakistan in Rawalpindi; catches Wasim Akram off Colin Miller to reach milestone
- Oct 13 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Cleveland Indians, 4 games to 2
- Oct 14 Eric Robert Rudolph is charged with 6 bombings including the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Oct 14 MLB National League Championship: San Diego Padres beat Atlanta Braves, 4 games to 2
- Oct 14 NY Islanders beat Tampa Bay, 7-1, to end 11 game winless streak
- Oct 21 Baseball World Series: New York Yankees beat San Diego, 3-0 in Game 4 at Qualcomm Stadium to sweep Padres and win 2nd title in 3 years; MVP: Yankees 3rd baseman Scott Brosius
F1 World Champion
Nov 1 Finnish McLaren driver Mika Häkkinen wins season ending Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka to claim his first F1 World Drivers Championship; wins title by 14 points from Michael Schumacher
Sports History
Nov 1 Steve Young and Jerry Rice hook up for their 80th career touchdown in Niners' 36-22 loss to GB Packers at Lambeau Field; eclipse previous NFL mark held by Miami Dolphins tandem Dan Marino & Mark Clayton
- Nov 7 10th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 31-26 in Chestnut Hill
- Nov 7 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; winners: Awesome Again, Answer Lively, Escena, Buck's Boy, Da Hoss, Silverbulletday, Reraise
- Nov 12 NY Islanders tie Detroit Red Wings 1-1, to end 10 game losing streak
- Nov 21 63rd Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 31-17 in Birmingham
- Nov 22 48th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jeff Gordon wins
- Nov 22 CFL Grey Cup, Winnipeg Stadium: Calgary Stampeders defeat Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 26-24; future NFL 4-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia MVP
- Nov 22 Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis beats American Lindsay Davenport 7–5, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2 in the WTA Tour Championship final at Madison Square Garden, NYC
- Nov 29 In a classic all-Spanish final, Àlex Corretja puts on a stunning comeback to beat Carlos Moyá 3–6, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3, 7–5 and win his only ATP Tour World Championship tennis title in Hanover, Germany
- Dec 5 3rd Big 12 Championship Game: #10 Texas A&M beats #2 Kansas State, 36-33 (2 OT)
- Dec 5 7th SEC Championship Game: #1 Tennessee beats #23 Mississippi State, 24-14
- Dec 6 87th Davis Cup: Sweden beats Italy in Milan (4-1)
International Team's 1st Win
Dec 13 Presidents Cup Golf, Royal Melbourne GC: International team wins for first time; Shigeki Maruyama and Steve Elkington unbeaten as Internationals beat US 20½–11½
- Dec 14 64th Heisman Trophy Award: Ricky Williams, Texas (RB)
Award to Zidane
Dec 22 Ballon d'Or: Juventus' French midfielder Zinedine Zidane is named best football player in Europe ahead of Real Madrid striker Davor Šuker and Inter forward Ronaldo
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions